8/25/14

Our intrepid editor traveled to the incomparable Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California at the wheel of an equally impressive BMW i8. Read on for further adventures…

A Ferrari won Best in Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and without a doubt it was Ferraris that dominated the show field.

In particular the awe-inspiring sight of 20—you read that correctly—Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas lined up in a row.

With coachwork by the likes of chief designer Scaglietti and Fantuzzi—including several “pointy snout” models as in the example above—over $100 million worth of Modenas finest was one of the most amazing displays one is ever likely to see in the world of classic automobiles.

There were both street and racing versions on display, including some rare and well-known cars including one-offs worth many millions in their own right.

A good example can go for $8 million or more, while the record price achieved was for a 1957 model sold in 2011 for $16.4 million.

That makes the Testa Rossa, or TR, second only to the legendary 250 GTO in terms of the world’s most expensive Ferrari model.

The distinctive design was inspired by Formula 1 race cars.

Of course, Testa Rossa racers were some of the most successful in their day, with variations emerging victorious at Le Mans in 1958, 1960 and 1961.

Only 34 were built between 1956 and 1961, so the Pebble field represented the lion’s share of those still extant.

The name “Testa Rossa,” in case you were wondering, means “red head” and refers to its valve covers.

Of course, this being Pebble Beach, there were plenty of other fabulous Ferraris to be found dotted about the greens.

Our favorites included a couple of 275 GTBs—the coolest prancing horse ever, in our opinion—as well as some earlier 250 models and one-offs like James Glickenhaus’s 1967 Ferrari 206 Dino Competizione Pininfarina Coupe with gullwing doors.

And though the 1954 Ferrari 375 MM that took home top honors wasn’t our favorite of the bunch, it certainly caught the judges’ attention.

So feast your eyes on our selection of photos from this once-in-a-lifetime occasion—and don’t say we never do anything for you…